To Feel The Way Rumi Did

As Rumi says: ‘Why should I seek? I am the same as He. His essence speaks through me. I have been looking for myself.’

My recent acquaintance with the works of Jalaluddin Rumi has made me think about the concepts of God and Oneness. Reading his thoughts and works made me realise that God lies within us; therefore it is up to us to find him. Several questions arise: Does it only mean to offer namaz and make pilgrimage? Does that satisfy our quest for the Almighty or is it something else, something more alluring?To know the Almighty is to realise one’s true Self which can be done only when you are kind towards his creation, that is, human beings and others.

Goodness, kindness and modesty are all a part of us; the main element of our soul, elements which make us true children of God -- ‘Allah ke bande’. My observation, my introspection is that whenever I have done something nice, for example, when I helped a feeble man cross the road, or helped a wheelchair-bound woman to board the metro train, I hadn’t realised that these small gestures would fill me with so much happiness, not to speak of the gratitude, warmth and love I could see in the eyes of the person I assisted. The feeling is priceless, and the beauty of this is that the amount of happiness which you experience is incomparable. Shopping sprees and indulging in mundane affairs may bring at best temporary happiness, but acts of spontaneous compassion and their memories always fill you with immense satisfaction and happiness. And what’s more, it enhances your self-esteem, and helps you become a better person.

Perhaps I am too young to fully comprehend the concept that God is present within the individual. But I think if we look at God as our own emotion – and then be merciful, kind and helpful by imbibing Allah’s attributes, then we could experience divinity within. By extension, it would mean any angel or demon we see is the result of our own perception of mind and soul. To see someone smile broadly only because you told her she looked nice today, or to see a chaiwala grin because you thanked him for that delicious chai spreads joy.

There’s no harm in apologising to someone even though it wasn’t your fault, especially when you know that person is upset and his blood pressure might shoot up. These gestures and words might be just words to us, some letters maybe but we do not realise that these are just a glimpse of the presence of the Almighty. One story from Prophet Muhammad’s life always acts as a reminder that nothing else counts but good behaviour with honest intentions.

The Prophet would pass by an old woman’s house daily in the course of his routine but every morning, as soon as the old woman saw him, she would throw garbage at him. Yet the Prophet neither lost his temper, nor reprimanded her. One day when the Prophet passed that way as usual, the woman was nowhere in sight. He stopped and asked a neighbour if the old woman was all right, and he was told that she was so ill that she was bedridden. The Prophet tended her till she was fully recovered. Surprised by this gesture, the woman, ashamed of her behaviour, asked the Prophet, “Instead of getting angry, why are you being so kind to me?” He replied, “Because I see Allah in you”. The writer is a student at Delhi University

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